Three finalists' plans can be viewed at Ametek through Thursday.

Artists from Ravenna, Kent are among three finalists

By Kyle McDonald | Staff WriterPublished: November 27, 2012 4:00AM

The three finalists' conceptual designs for the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority's Veterans Memorial will be viewable to the public through Thursday at the Ametek, Inc. office building in downtown Kent.

The memorial is intended to honor America's veterans, past and present, and is part of PARTA's Kent Central Gateway transit facility project at Haymaker Drive and Erie Street.

Bryan Smith, director of planning at PARTA, said the public can give feedback in a comments box where they are on display, as well as on PARTA's website, www.kentcentralgateway.org/VetsMemorial.html.

The three finalists, selected through an advisory committee that analyzed proposals from around the country, are:

Brinsley Tyrrell of Ravenna

George Danhires of Kent

Timothy Gay, Dan Gay and Mary Roberts of Savannah, Ga.

PARTA has allocated $120,000 to fund the design, fabrication and installation of the memorial and administration of the design competition.

The Veterans Memorial project will not add costs to the Kent Central Gateway project.

The two local artists, Tyrrell and Danhires, have previously designed sculptures in Kent. Danhires' bronze relief Kent Bicentennial Sculpture was installed on Franklin Avenue neighboring The Pufferbelly in September 2012, and Tyrrell's "Behind the Brain Plaza" was completed in 1999 behind Merrill Hall on the Kent State University campus.

Smith said an artist is likely to be selected by the end of the year.

"We're hoping to get the artist under contract by the first of the year so that they have as much time as possible to do their design," he said. "They've been given a schedule to be complete in September of (2013)."

PARTA also will hold two public meetings for feedback on designs before the artist is selected.